The Rules of Redemption
by WiseSkyLight
Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures. But as a girl? Full summary inside. Thank you to my beta HoldTheLineDon'tLookBack for making this fanfic happen.
1. Promises

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Just OCs and plot.

Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures.

And as the struggle for power begins, Allister soon learns that the Great Empire is not the only one involved in the great game as sinister players position themselves to make their first move to stake their claim over both worlds.

With traitors at every corner and friends turning into foes. Through turmoil and war, magic and murder, Allister knows he must pick a side if he wishes to survive... But as a girl?

* * *

The Rules of Redemption

\- Chapter 1 -

Promises

* * *

 _Don't care about anyone…_

Those were the words Allister never failed to remember. The words would always conjure up agonising memories he had long repressed into the depths of his sub consciousness, but he'd regularly find himself repeating them as if they were a silent prayer to stop him from losing sight of what he once was. Anyone else would have brushed off the words said to him, not giving them a second thought, but to him they were words to live by. It was originally a promise to an old friend, one of the only promises he had not broken.

 _Should I be proud of that or should it be my shame?_ Allister thought questioningly. All throughout his life, Allister had made hundreds of promises to a number different people and broken each of them in turn, except for a small handful that he kept to this day. Truth be told, he had no love for promises. They were empty words that filled fools with false hope, and those who swear to them should never be trusted, but telling people this didn't stop promises from deluding them.

 _It's a good thing though, I never would have gotten this far without them._

The only time Allister gave his word was when he was tricking others into believing the lies that flowed smoothly off his tongue to achieve his own goals. _It taught them a valuable lesson too._ He chuckled inwardly. _Not all knights are noble and upstanding._ This wasn't the reason Allister despised promises. As a young boy on the verge of manhood, he had learnt the truth about making promises the hard way: Promises are chains made to take away your freedom and the people you swear to are the weights, dragging you down till the damned promise was fulfilled.

Just like any other child in Old England, Allister was told that once he made a promise it was a debt that must be paid even if it means to forfeit his own life to achieve it. _Parents would tell chilling tales of those who had forsaken their oaths to their young ones; claiming he who goes back on his word was cursed by the Goddess._ They say promises make you a better person, but that is a lie. Promises do not make people better. They do not help people. They break them. Especially the ones you can never keep.

Truthfully, Allister couldn't even recall the last time he made a promise. _To forget just means that there is no reason to feel responsible anymore, right, old friend?_ A hysterical laugh escaped his lips. _Serves them right. How could they expect me to solve all their problems? All they did was sit on their arse and expect me to do all their work for them, and the ones who cried were the worst._ Everyone always thought that tears were a sign of weakness, but Allister knew better. Tears were very much a dangerous weapon. Almost as threatening as a murderer holding a dagger and women knew how to use them well.

 _And it's not like the weather is helping me remember anything._

It was a humid afternoon. The stifling air that enveloped him was thick and heavy, making every sharp intake of the torrid breeze burn his throat. The bar he was currently sat in was much more suffocating as scorching heat beat down on him in intense waves through the windows, as a result of them being open in a futile attempt to let in a gust of cool wind. Out of the windows the streets were unnaturally quiet under the cloudless sky and the once moving windmills in the distance were still.

The bar he was in was worse for wear as it was nearly as empty as the streets outside with only five people, including himself, sitting on the stiff chairs next to either a window or close to the open doors. To save himself from the heat one stocky man with rat brown hair and close-set eyes hidden behind thick, bushy eyebrows sat near the door and ordered a glass of cold water and when it arrived he poured it over his face to cool himself down, earn a scowl from the bartender but she said nothing.

 _Where is my drink?_ Allister thought sluggishly. The heat was becoming unbearable and his raw throat ached. The table he was resting his head on was warm and his chair became uncomfortable to sit on, but he was too tired to care. He could also begin to see that the others around him felt the same. A large, bald-headed man who was sat two table away next to a window kept changing his sitting position every five minutes, as if to try to stop himself from cooking under the sun glare. Another began to snooze in his chair, his chin touching his collar causing his long black hair to fall forwards onto his chest.

 _Maybe I should do the same._

Feeling exhausted, Allister began to close his eyes wanting to drifted off into a peaceful slumber when, without warning, something cold was pressed against his cheek. The feeling of the cool object made his eyes spring open and a chuckle sounded above him. He looked upwards at the laughing culprit.

It was the bartender, Makino, and she held a glass of orange juice in her hand, which she held firmly to his cheek. "Your such an adorable child, Haru-chan," she cooed in a soft-spoken voice.

Allister blinked, feeling a little dazed and feverish. _Wait, Haru-chan? Who's Haru- Oh... I remember._

"Here's your drink," Makino said as she moved the cold drink away from his- _no, it's her, i'm a her_ -face and placed the drink on the table. Alli- _no, stop that. that's not your name anymore. your name is Haru. don't forget that_ -Haru pulled him- _stop that! don't forget, don't forget your name!_ -herself up from the table.

"Thank you, Makino-san," Haru said slowly to minimize the pain in her throat, but she- yes _, I'm a girl, not a boy, not after I died_ -failed to stop herself from wincing. Her voice sounded as rough as sandpaper on a jagged piece of wood and the back of her head was pounding.

"You're welcome," Makino replied, a small worn out smile spread across her face and her weary brown eyes shone with kindness and sympathy. "You should hurry up and drink the juice." She added. "You don't want your throat getting any worse."

Haru nodded and grabbed the drink with one of her small- _not large, never large_ -hands. It was refreshingly cold against her warm fingers and she pulled it towards her dry lips. She drank it down greedily, the icy drink quenching her thirst and soothing her parched throat. Once she was finished she placed the cup back down on the table and sighed. Her headache slowly starting to subside.

Makino laughed once again, her voice practically booming in the quiet bar. "You didn't need to drink so quickly. I still have a lot of orange juice if you want some more."

Haru- _good. you know your name, never forget your name_ \- repeatedly nodded, pushing the glass towards Makino. "Yes please," She croaked, her voice- _a child's voice, not an adult's_ \- still sounding a little hoarse.

"Then one more glass of orange juice coming right up," she said while taking the glass and walking to the counter at the front of the room.

In the period of time that she was gone, Haru- _not Allister, I will never be Allister again_ -glanced around. The room was large and spacious with light green walls that made the bar seem brighter. There were six wooden round table placed at different areas of the room and only three of them were occupied by one or two people. The table she was using was at the far left of the room, close to the front of the bar. Haru liked this table because she was able to observe everyone and everything from drunken people stumbling out the door, to the laughter of the merry men celebrating their achievements at the counter. She could see it all.

 _Those who truly look are the ones who see what is invisible to the naked eye_ , she quoted from a book called Techniques of the Mind and Its Mysteries by Adryan Westworth. It had been one of the books she had gotten as a gift as a young child. _But that was when I was Allister, not Haru and many of the books that I read in my old life may not even exist in this world, as well as the languages or cultures._

One of the things that Haru had done in this world, when she was able to master the language here, was going to the village library and reading through every book possible in order to understand the unusual place she was now born books she found did help her, but the library was limited in some ways, such as not having much information on other islands and absolutely nothing on what was beyond a place called the Red Line. Also, the history of the world was a little vague and one of the many things that perplexed her was that there was no world map. She knew that she was currently in East Blue on an island called Dawn and it was common knowledge that there were other parts of the Blue Sea, but that was all.

 _Hopefully the new books arriving at the library tomo-_

Midway in thought Haru froze abruptly. From the corner of her eyes she noticed that the man with long hair was awake and staring eerily at her.

 _Why is he staring at me?_ She wondered. _Is it because I'm the only kid here? Or maybe it's because this shop mostly hosts to pirates, not children_. That seemed like the most likely answer, but she chose not to ignore him as the man did not feel like an ordinary person and instead decided to study him.

The man wore an almost neutral but bored expression, though his sharp stare never wavered from her. Handsome was one word anyone would have used to describe him with his fair complexion and his strong, yet graceful build. The clothes he was wearing were nothing out of the ordinary. It consisted of a loose grey shirt and black baggy trousers.

 _He looks normal, so why do I feel uneasy?_

Under his scrutinising gaze, Haru tried to relax, but something about the man was putting her on edge. She clenched her fists as a way to shake off the feeling but it grew more predominant and in response all the muscles in her body stiffened in alarm. There was something strange about him and she couldn't pinpoint what. He wasn't a weird type of strange, in fact he felt familiar.

Haru paused in thought. _Familiar? Have I had this feeling before?_

She had. The sense of dread clawing up her body digging its sharp claws deep within her skin and holding onto her in a vice-like grip was something she could never forget, but why now? It had been years since she had this feeling. What was it about the man who made her feel this way? Unless...

Haru took a shaky deep breath to try to keep herself calm but the rest of her body refused to follow; her heart was beating rapidly against her rib cage like the wings of a terrified bird in need of an escape and beads of cold sweat ran down her neck. All signs that her usually composed self was beginning to crack under the intensity of the man's stare.

 _Calm down, Haru. Calm down._

She took another deep breath and noted that there was a very peculiar atmosphere that clung to him, which reminded her of...

Her eyes widened and she turned her head in a flash to face him. As if he could read her mind the man grinned at her.

 _Wait, could it be? But how? That's impos-_

"Here's your drink."

Makino unexpectedly voice took Haru by surprise causing her to flinch back into her seat.

"Oh, Haru-chan, are you ok? Did I scare you?" Makino asked in a worried tone, while placing the drink down to give her her full attention.

"I'm-I'm fine. You just caught me off guard, that's all." Haru smiled a little hoping Makino would not ask anymore questions, expect she did not look convinced. Her eyes flicker in the direction of the man she was previously watching and flickered back to her with a weird look across her face.

All of a sudden Makino bent over to reach her ear and whispered seriously, "Haruka, don't go out of my sight, OK?" Her face went as hard as stone and mistrust radiated off her in waves.

Haru blinked, stunned at order, but agreed. _She doesn't trust him._ She realised. _Small wonder why. If I was able to sense it then everyone should too._ And she was right. The two other men in the room were glaring at him with hostility.

 _You fool_ , she thought annoyed at the man. _You brought this on to yourself when you were trying to catch my attention._

She glanced at him. He was already out of his seat and making his way towards the entrance to get outside. After he left the tension in the room has began to dissolve. He must have detected their increasing anger towards him.

"Makino-chan," the bald-headed man called out, snapping Haru out of her thoughts, "did you know that man?"

"No, I don't, Tanaka-san."

"Then best stay away from him. Especially you little girl, don't go anywhere near him. There's something strange about that man, and men like that bring trouble along with them," He said gravely, his dark brown eyes still lingering at the open doors.

 _Sorry old man, but I can't do that_ , she thought. _I need to find him._

Haru turned back to the table the man was sat at and caught a glance of a small piece of paper beside a beer glass and some small change scattered around it. Ignoring the conversation going on between Makino and the now dubbed Tanaka-san, she slid out of her seat and cautiously walked towards the table the man drank at. She then quickly grabbed the paper and strolled right back to her seat, ignoring the watchful stare of the man with rat brown hair.

The paper was clenched so tightly in her fist that she thought that it might rip. Haru knew that she would have to find a safe place to read it, so she told Makino that she needed the loo and wandered to the door that lead to the toilet, but instead of turning right to where the toilets were, she turned in the opposite direction to reach the back door and quickly passed though in to the alleyway.

This should be a safe place.

Haru slowly began to unclenched her fist and smooth out the wrinkled paper. Then read what was written on the paper. It said:

 _Young Master,_

 _Sorry for the use of magic on you and the others that surrounded you, but I needed a way to catch your attention and proof that it was really you. After all, Krorose magic has a specific type of effect on the people who are able to wield it and a different one on the people who can't._

 _Sorry, but I can't write everything down, so I wish to meet you in the forest not far from there in 30 minutes._

 _Forever your loyal servant,_

 _James_

 _When did he write this down?_ She thought, recalling her memories of the time not long ago. Then realized that he must have written this when she looked away from him, but that was not the only thing she noticed about the note. It was written in Neo-English, a language from her world not found in this one.

He didn't want others to know the contents of this note. And she could understand that. In addition, this would be an advantage in this world when writing something private down as no one else would be able to understand it.

Haru had also researched about the different languages in this world and found that everyone speaks the universal language of Japanese, but some words from other languages such as Old English, French, etc. were able to slip though. This interested her as she wanted to know how the other languages died out, only leaving behind some remains of their existence.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Haru began to rip up the letter into tiny pieces and throw them in the bin next to the door. Then turned around to go back inside.

But the only thought that ran through her head was...

 _Were there others that were killed that day?  
_

* * *

The forest Haru was standing in was unnaturally void of all sound; there was no crackling leaves, creaking branches or sounds of the swaying trees. There was nothing. This unnerved Haru.

 _Where is he?_ She thought, annoyed at the prospect of waiting any longer, but it had been only 10 minutes. _He's late._

Unable to stand any longer in this blistering heat, she found a comfortable spot under a tree and sat beneath it. She let her mind wonder off, remembering the current book she was reading. It was called The Twenty Kings and the author was unknown, which added a little mystery about who wrote the book and when, the book was also old, shown by the ripped pages and broken spine, so she had to be careful when reading it.

The book talked about how the World Government was created by twenty kings and how their descendants became known as Celestial Dragons or Tenryūbito. This intrigued Haru as it reminded her a little about her world, the one where she had been known as Allister. In her world, the Great British Empire, also known as Britannia, was in control of everything just like the World Government was in control of this one. Except instead of Celestial Dragons, there were Great Houses that were said to take upon the King's voice, and their word was law.

Shaking her head from her thoughts, Haru turned her attention back to the current situation. James was still not here.

 _Had something happened to him?_ Thought Haru, starting to get a little worried. 30 minutes had now gone by and there were no signs of life from either direction of the forest. This made her agitated. _I'm alone._ She realized, but it did not scare her. Instead, it filled her with the kind of courage that every child feels when faced with a strange situation.

 _I'm OK_. She reassured herself, her eyes darting around to check for any evidence of living creatures, but there were none. Until she heard the faint sound of footsteps scurrying towards her.

Haru quickly stood up and hid behind the tree. She was taking no chances. This could be a trap. The man might not really be James.

Suddenly, from behind a bush opposite her came the man with long hair. He looked the same as he did in the bar, but this time he wore a bag, its strap hanging on his shoulder and a sword strapped to his belt. He then stood there for a couple of seconds and glanced around the place, until his eyes finally rested on the tree she stood behind.

"Young Master, what are you doing hiding behind a tree?" He said with one eyebrow raised in mirth. "Do you not believe it's me? Well, that's fine. I'll just have to prove myself now, won't I?"

He sounded amused.

" _Well, when I first found you, you were in a pitiful state._ "He began explaining in Neo-English, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say. " _You were chained like a dog that had betrayed its master, half dead after what they had done to you. And do you remember the commands you gave me after that night. 'Kill them all,' was it not?_ "

Haru stepped out from behind the tree.

" _So it is you...but how_ _?_ " She replied in the same language.

A frown grew on James's lips. " _You weren't the only one who was killed that night. There were others._ "

" _Others?_ " She questioned. _So I was right._

" _Yes._ "

Haru's throat went dry. The next words got stuck, but she forced herself to ask the question she had been waiting twelve long years to get an answer to.

" _Who killed me?_ "

There was silence from him for a couple seconds and his face looked a little strained. Then he said in his smooth tenor of a voice, " _I have no idea, Master. It shames me that I do not know, but command me and I will find out._ "

Haru sighed and turned away from him in disappointment. " _I shall, but now is not the time. How did you find me?_ "

" _I found you through the use of this._ "

Haru turned back to face him and saw he was pointing to a mark on his neck which was hidden by his hair from before. The mark that rested on his neck had seven circles looping over each other and they rested in the center of a triangle with its corners cut off. She knew the mark; after all she has the same one on her chest.

" _The contract?_ " She realised.

" _Yes. Even though magical users don't exist in this world, magic does. That's how I was able to find you._ " He answered, and suddenly began rummaging through his bag. " _I've got something for you, too._ "

" _What is it?_ " She wondered, stepping forwards.

He pulled something from his bag then walked towards her and placed it in her open hands. It was a small amulet.

Haru skimmed over the design of the amulet and noticed that carving was the same design as the contract, but had a tiny emerald jewel at the dead center. " _What will the amulet do?_ "

James smiled faintly at her. " _It will hide your trace of magic, so you don't have to worry about others finding you, and it will stop you from seeing 'them', too._ "

" _Thank you._ "

He bowed. " _Anything for you, Master._ "

She nodded in acknowledgement. " _Is there anything else you have for me?_ "

" _Why yes, there is._ " He said while straightening himself out, then proceeded to grab the sword strapped to his belt and held it out in front of her.

 _A sword? Wait... Could it be?_

She put the amulet around her neck, then plucked the sword from his hands and pulled it from its scabbard with all the strength of a twelve year old.

 _It is._ She thought, shocked at the sudden realisation

Her fingers brushed against the cold silver metal as it shone under the remaining sunlight. The hilt, she noticed, was too large and heavy for small hands, causing the point of the sword to dig into the ground, but the engraving of the words, written in the ancient language of Latin, were still there in the ironwood: " _A facie gladii quem percussit luna_ " it said.

 _The sword that shattered the moon_

She then began to slowly traced over the white gem stone that rested in the center of the pommel, which glowed faintly, sending ripples of light across her fingers. And under her finger tips, the gem's glow grew stronger and stronger until it illuminated the entire sword.

Haru marveled at its beauty.

" _The sword has found its owner, just as I have found my master._ " James whispered softly.

Without warning, the light from the long sword died away, leaving Haru a little dazed.

" _H-how did you get it?_ " Demanded Haru, still numb from the shock. " _I thought that it was in Britannia._ "

" _It was, but I was able to summon the sword along with your other personal items to this realm though the use of very old magic, but I am unable to find a way back home._ " He explained. " _Now, let's do something about the sword. You can't go around carrying a 3ft sword, so the best thing to do is seal it in the hand of your choosing._ "

Haru nodded again. " _Okay. But there is one thing I would like to ask?_ "

" _Ask away_ "

She stared deep into his unnaturally black eyes.

" _Why did you wait twelve years to find me?_ "

* * *

Dusk had now come, filling the light blue sky with hues of red and orange, but Haru was too busy staring at the symbol of a black crescent moon which lay in the middle of the palm on her left hand. It was the seal that James placed upon her, which caused her sword to be absorbed by her hand, but she will be able to summon it any time she pleases.

She clenched and unclenched her hand. _Just like old times, huh?_

This was not the first time that her sword was sealed into her hand. She had placed the seal on her hand herself as Allister to portray himself as harmless when traveling around Britannia in order to deceive people. It had work many at time, as people were able to place their trust upon him, but that trust was always broken. Mostly by him.

 _Looks could be deceiving._ That's why Haru had learnt to place trust on herself and nobody else. Not even James.

Ridding herself of anymore thoughts about the past, Haru got off the bed she was sat on. She was currently standing in her room, which was on the top floor of Partys Bar. This place had been her home for the last twelve years after being adopted by the one of the owners of the bar, Chiyo. Though Chiyo has kept the part of her being adopted a secret from her, but Haru was quick to catch on her lies, as their physical features did not match. Unlike Chiyo who had a pale, white complexation with greying-brown hair and brown eyes, Haru had a rich golden-brown skin with pitch-black hair and unusual yellow eyes. This has made her wonder why Chiyo would keep her parentage a secret from her. It was not like she was going to go on a journey to find her parents. Truthfully, Haru couldn't care less about her parent. She could live without them just like she had as Allister.

Suddenly the door slammed open, causing Haru to jump back in shock at the loud noise, but before she could say anything something knocked into her, sending her flying on to her bed, and tightly wrapped itself around her.

Haru groaned and looked down at the intruder. "Luffy," she called out, while trying to pull herself up, "what's wrong?"

He said nothing, but continued to hold her in some sort of a hug.

Haru was finally able to pull herself up into a sitting position and said, "Luffy, you know I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Ne, Haru, you're my friend, right?" He asked out of nowhere.

 _Don't care about anyone..._

Haru laughed. "Why the sudden question, Luffy?"

 _I've never been good with children_. She thought. And there was a reason for it; she hated children.

Luffy buried his head in her neck, causing Haru to feel his warm breath.

"Luffy?" She then proceeded to pat his back in awkward way of comforting him. "What happened?"

He mumbled something inaudible.

"Luffy, I can't hear you. Speak a little louder."

"The children outside," he began, "where saying that my father abandoned me and that I had no family."

Haru could feel the hug getting tighter as he said this.

"And what did you do?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.

"I beat them." He said bluntly.

Haru sighed. "You know you can't do that, right, Luffy?"

"I don't care. They deserved it."

Haru sighed again. "They might've deserved it, but that does not mean you should have done it."

"Hey Haru?" He said.

"Hmm, what?" She hummed in questioning.

"Are you my family?" He asked innocently.

Haru froze.

 _Don't care about anybody..._

"Yeah," she answered lying. "I am."

He moved his head to look at her right in the eye.

"Really?"

He sounded desperate.

 _Don't care about anybody because..._

She smiled a false smile.

"Yeah," She said softly.

Luffy grinned, his eyes shining with happiness as he held her.

"Nee-chan, thank you."

 _Don't care about anyone one because one day..._

Then, all at once, she remember what her old friend told her as Allister on his death bed.

It was a stormy night. The rain from the ferocious storm battered against the roof and the fragile glass windows, and wind howled in pain as if it had known that death was arriving soon. Though, Allister took no notice of it. Instead he watched his friend wither in agony, crying out for help, but Allister did not know what to do, so he just watched till his friend calmed down and turned to look at him.

"Allister..." His friend croaked. "Allister..."

"Yes, Lazarus." He answered.

Lazarus held out one weak hand and Allister took it.

"Promise me... Promise me one thing."

"Anything"

"Don't care about anyone..."

Allister- _I'm not Allister anymore. I'm Haru. Haru_ -nodded.

"...Because one day..."

Allister's- _Haru's, don't forget your name, never forget your name_ -thoughts turned back to Luffy, a smile still plastered on both of their faces. One fake and the other joyful.

 _Because one day..._

Haru- _yes, that's my name, that's my name_ \- could still hear her old friend's voice.

Staring into Luffy's eyes, Haru could recall the final words.

 _Because one day..._

 _...you might have to kill them_


	2. True Parentage

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Just OCs and plot.

Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures.

And as the struggle for power begins, Allister soon learns that the Great Empire is not the only one involved in the great game as sinister players position themselves to make their first move to stake their claim over both worlds.

With traitors at every corner and friends turning into foes. Through turmoil and war, magic and murder, Allister knows he must pick a side if he wishes to survive... But as a girl?

* * *

The Rules of Redemption

\- Chapter 2 -

True Parentage

* * *

"Again," rang out James's smooth voice.

The sound echoed, bouncing off the trees that enclosed around them, like a wooden cage entrapping them from the rest of civilization.

In spite of the order, Haru was too exhausted to get up. Plus she had aches and pains running down her body.

"Again," He called out for the second time, staring down at her with a sword in hand as she rested on the floor.

Haru managed to pull herself up despite the agony and grabbed the sword that lay next to her. Then she attacked, trying to bombard him with different maneuvers, attempting to push him back. The sound of metal singing filled the warm air. Both of them standing in one place trading jabs, slashes and blows. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she blocked his dive, but the force of it was too strong, making her retreat and causing her to grunt. Though she returned the favor by thrusting the point of the sword forward, but he evaded her strike, causing her to pull her sword back before he charged at her. They both moved at near-impossible speeds while trying to dodge each other's assaults. This was the result of two years worth of hard training under James.

"Okay, enough." James uttered suddenly, putting down his sword.

Haru nodded in agreement, and dropped to her knees worn out from the few hours of fighting.

Dusk had arrived, she noted, as light drained away the vibrant greens of the forest while leaving dark shadowy silhouettes, but the final rays of sunlight fought against their passing as they fiercely penetrated through the thick grey clouds. However, this attempt was shown to be futile, as the clouds quickly won the battle with the help of strong winds plunging everything into what seemed to be eternal darkness.

"I-l should be getting back," she choked out, trying to pull oxygen into her system.

"Yes, you should," replied James while taking the training sword out of her hand. "You might be able to make it back in time for dinner if you run."

Haru nodded, still out of breath.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the same time then."

And with those final words, James disappeared in a flash of light to god know where.

 _Where does he live?_ That question always popped popped into her head when he teleported away after they were done with her training. She had never seen him in the houses in the village, which she assumed meant that he lived in another village or island. he latter was possible as teleportation magic could take you as far as you wanted to go as long as you have the image of the place inside your head. But alas, Haru was still too young to use this type of magic. She has to wait one more year for her magical core to fully develop as she was now 15, but that did not mean she could not use magic. James had been training her in the magical arts of Krorose. This allowed her to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of the people around her.

But it was known dark magic.

This caused it to be banned in Britannia, as people used it to commit crimes. For example, one man used it to make his wife commit suicide by filling her with negative emotion and thought just so he could marry another woman. Though, there was a reason why Haru was learning such dark magic.

 _I should really get back._

Turning her thoughts to Chiyo who must be waiting for her, Haru pulled herself up and began to run out of the forest towards home.

* * *

It took her around 20 minutes to reach home and when she finally arrive Haru was struggling to stand on her feet, as she was still tired from the training with James and now from running miles.

Haru sluggishly walked forward towards the entrance of the bar, but paused when she heard someone saying her name from inside the room. Though it was not to call her into the bar. It was used in a conversation with someone else. Someone she knew.

Quickly hiding herself next to the door with the little energy she had left, Haru listened into the conversation.

"-must tell her soon, Chiyo," said a slow and faltering voice as if the person was old. "Or else I will. She needs to know." The voice sounded like it was pleading with Chiyo to tell her what ever secret she had been keeping from her. This intrigued Haru, as she was a fan of finding out secrets, so she could use them against people. It was a love of hers. She was the same back in Old England as Allister.

"I can't," hissed out Chiyo. "I promised her mother that she would never know."

 _My mother?_

This was news to Haru, as Chiyo had never once talked about her real mother. Instead Chiyo pretended to be her mum, but as Haru said before she didn't believe it one bit because of the difference in their physical appearance.

"You think that's going to stop her father from coming here?" said the old voice in rising anger. "He knows where she is and he's not going to stop searching for her until he speaks to her."

Wanting to know who the old man was, Haru took a peek inside the bar and saw a man with wizened black hair, which was covered with a multi-coloured hat and he had fatigued eyes. His face was seasoned as if he had faced everything the weather could throw at him and his beard had a smoky-grey tint to it. He also wore a peach t-shirt and black bottoms with red stars running across it. It was the Mayor, Woop Slap.

 _Why would the Mayor be involved in the secret of my parents?_ She thought. _Unless... the secret has something to do with my safety._

"I can try and hide her again," Chiyo said. "That would stop him from seeing her."

"Woman, are you mad? Listen to yourself. You won't be able to stop him and if you think you can you're delusional. Tell Haruka the truth. She deserved to know."

"Tell me what?" Said Haru, as she walked into the room. She had enough of the secrets. Even though Haru did not care about who her parents were it was still her right to know and decide if they were relevant to her life. _They can't be like my horrid mum back in Britannia._

Chiyo stared at Haru in shock then composed herself to smile at her. "Nothing Haruka. Just go to your room and we will have a chat later, okay?"

And as Chiyo said this, Woop Slap eyes burned in fury. "Stop lying to her! She going to find out anyway." He turned towards her. "We were talking about your parents. Your _real_ parents."

"Stop!" Chiyo called out. "Please stop!"

"No," he replied in aggravated tone. "Your father has sent a letter saying that he wants to meet you, Haruka."

"Why does he want to meet me now?" Haru asked quickly before Chiyo could say anything. "He had all these years before, so why now?"

"Haruka, please don't do this. Please don't ask."

Chiyo voice sounded on the verge of breaking down, but Haru did not care. She never cared in the first place. To her Chiyo was just a woman who took care of her. Nothing more.

"Well, in the letter he says that he found out about you when you turned five through a friend of his," Woop Slap explained. "But he was unable to contact you in fear of people finding out about you."

"Who's this friend?"

"You should know him, Haruka. He first meet you when you were five."

 _When I was five?_ Haru thought back to when she was a kid. _All I know is that I met..._

Her eyes widen in realisation.

"Shanks!" Haru exclaimed.

"Yes, he is a friend of your father's."

"What's my father's name then?"

"His name is Dracule Mihawk."

 _Dracule Mihawk? Well, I have heard weirder names._

Chiyo suddenly rush to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Forget that name, okay? Please for me." Tears were running down her face as she tightly held onto her.

Having enough of Chiyo's behaviour, Haru seeped her magic into her and began to manipulate her thoughts and emotions.

 _Tell Haruka the truth._ Was the thought that Haru repeatedly put into Chiyo's head while changing her emotions to more relaxed ones, so she would be confident enough to tell her the truth. Without warning, a glazed look crossed over Chiyo's eyes as she froze.

"I'll tell Haruka the truth," she finally said after a minute shocking the Mayor and her voice sounding calmer.

"Y-You will?!" He said in surprise.

Chiyo smiled softly. "Yes, I will."

"Then tell me. Who are my parents and why are you trying to hide them from me?" Haruka asked.

Chiyo sighed while wiping the tears from her eyes and letting go of Haru.

"Your parents are powerful people, Haruka." She began to explain. "For example, your mother was an admiral to the World Government before she disappeared."

"My mother disappeared? Why?" Haru asked.

"No one knows. She just disappeared after handing you over to me."

"Why did she give me to you?"

"I'm a friend of your mother's, so she trusted me enough to look after her child."

"But what's all this got to do with my father?"

Chiyo hesitated a little. "Well... your father is a well-known pirate. Said to be a great swordsman."

"I have a pirate for a father?!"

"You see, if people found out that your mother had a child with a pirate her reputation would go down the drain."

Woop Slap nodded. "No one can know this, Haruka. Not even your closest friends."

"Okay, but I want to be the one to respond to my father. I'll be the one to write him a letter."

Chiyo blinked in shock, both her and Woop Slap soon agreed.

"It's best that he hears everything from you anyway," Chiyo said. She seemed tired after giving that explanation, but Haru knew it was the side effect of using magic on her.

"One more thing, what's my mother's name?"

Chiyo stared at Haru for a while probably questioning whether to tell her. Then she sighed once again in resignation.

"Her name is Natsuko."

* * *

A few days passed and Haru found herself sitting in front of her desk trying to figure out what to write to her father. This would be her fifth attempt. Her other pages sat in the bin, because they hadn't been good enough, they weren't perfect. Plus the racket from downstairs in the bar was an annoyance and did not help her to concentrate properly.

 _The bar must be full_ , she guessed by the amount of noise there was. _I wonder who has arrived._

Turning her thoughts to her present situation, Haru just began to write whatever came into her head. It would be the first time in years that she would be writing what she truly thought- after all, this man was her flesh and blood, but that did not mean that she trusted him. She would use her feeling as a ruse to find out what her father was truly like. If he was anything like that bitch of a mother she had in Britannia then it will be goodbye to him. However, if he was different then she had other plans.

Haru wrote:

 _To the father I never knew,_

 _Until yesterday I knew nothing about you. I never even knew you existed. I grew up under the impression that you were dead along with my mother. Chiyo - that's the woman who adopted me - told me that I was her daughter, but I never believed it. And now I know the truth. You are alive and I don't know how to feel. I grew up without a father for the last 15 years of my life and I'm trying to decide whether or not I need one. But that does not mean that I don't want to meet you._

 _I would like to meet you as soon as you can if that's possible because there are somethings that are better said face to face then in a letter._

 _Thank you,_

 _Haruka._

 _There_. She was done.

Folding up the letter, Haru placed it inside an envelope and sealed it. She then stood up out of the wooden chair and walked toward the door of her room to go downstairs. As she walked she heard the noise from the bar getting louder and louder with each step. When she reached the source of the noise she saw the bar was packed with people laughing and drinking. That is when she spotted Luffy sitting next to a red-haired man wearing a straw hat.

"Shanks!" Haru called out while running over to him.

Shanks turned towards her and grinned. "Haru-chan? Is that you?"

Haru nodded with the same smile on her face.

"Wow, you've grown so much since I last saw you. How are you doing?" He asked with a drink in hand.

"I'm doing fine, but I need to speak with you."

"Hey! Don't ignore me Shanks! I'm going to be a pirate one day!" Cried out Luffy from beside him.

Shanks looked at Luffy and burst out laughing. Everyone else in the room laughed with him.

"You can't handle being a pirate," he said in between laughs.

"Yes I can," Luffy retorted. "Besides, my fighting style is pretty good too! I've rigorously trained before. My punch is as strong as a pistol fire."

Before Shanks could reply, Haru noticed the plaster on Luffy's face and said, "Luffy, what happened to your face?" It looked like he was cut under his left eye.

"It's proof." Luffy bluntly said.

"Proof of what?" Haru questioned.

"Of my-"

"Craziness?" Shanks interrupted.

"No!" Luffy shouted. "Of me wanting to be a pirate. It didn't hurt at all."

"So... you cut yourself?"

Haru did not know whether to laugh at his stupidity or just sigh.

"Yep!" He said with a wide grin on his face.

"Okay..."

And with that final note, Haru turned her head to face Shanks who was still laughing and drinking with his crew.

"Shanks," she called out to get his attention.

"Yeah, Haru-chan?" He said after taking a gulp of his drink.

"I need to talk to you. It's about my father."

Shanks sharply stared at her when she mentioned her father.

"I know the truth. I was told few nights ago." She explained to him.

Shanks said nothing and peered down at the letter in her hand.

"Is that for him?" He suddenly asked so softly that you could barely hear him over the noise of the bar.

Haru nodded. "Can you give it to him?"

"Yes." He answered, while he eyes were glazed over with some unreadable emotion.

And with that, Haru gave Shanks the letter.

"I'm going to go now." She stated. It was time for her to train with James again.

"Nee-chan," Luffy said before she could turn around and leave, "where are you going? You always disappear in the morning."

"Hmm, does she now?" Shanks said curiously back to his usual self, the strange look no longer there.

"Yeah and she won't tell me."

"I've noticed it, too." Said Makino from behind the counter. "I think it's been like this for the past two years."

Makino had been serving Shank's crew drinks while Haru was talking to their leader.

"So where have you been, Haru-chan?"

By the tone of Shanks voice it sounded like a light-hearted question, but Haru could guess that it was a serious one. This caused the whole room to turn quiet. Everyone listening in on what they were saying. Haru could feel dozens of eyes pierce her back. The best thing to do in this situation was to tell him the truth. There was no point lying. It would just get her in trouble.

"I've been training, so I know how to fight." She admitted.

"With who?" Shanks questioned.

Haru's eye's narrowed. _Why does he think that I've been training with someone?_

"I've been training by myself," she lied.

"Haruka," he said with an edge to his voice.

"I'm not lying," she assured him.

Shanks sighed. "Fine. I trust you."

"Okay. Then I'll get going."

Before anyone could have time to reply, Haru turned around and quickly walked out of the bar.

* * *

Haru was on her way back home after the 5 hours spent training with James. Today she was not learning sword techniques, but the art of magic. To be more exact, dark magic. Truth is the only type of magic that Haru could use was dark magic. This was because using magic considered for the light was not in her nature. It make her physically sick when even she had to heal herself since the art of healing was a light magic, however it could also be dark if used to bring someone back to life. This was her weakness as she could not use all types of magic, which she hated.

The type of dark magic that she had been learning was called Prefine. This allowed Haru to curse anyone to death or a lighter curse like making them have back luck for a day. She would use this to her advantage when she needed it most, as cursing someone to death took up a lot of magic and left her feeling out of it.

However, during her training Haru had a bad feeling and if there's one thing Haru knew it's to trust her intuition, as it had always been right. Though the feeling always came when she thought about Luffy and Shanks. _Did something bad happen to them?_ She had to go home and check quickly.

When she arrived through the door of the bar the first thing she saw was Luffy wrapped in a towel crying his eyes out. He looked soaking wet as if he had been swimming in the sea. Haru then looked towards Shanks who was also wet and trying to comfort Luffy with one hand. No. With _one arm_. The other looked as if it had been bitten off.

 _What the hell happen?!_ She thought.

Haru ran towards Luffy and Shanks, pushing passed the crew mates that surrounded them.

"Luffy!" She called out. "Shanks!"

Shanks turned to face her with a smile on his face.

"Why are you smiling?!" She shouted. "Y-You don't have an arm anymore. What happened?!"

"I-It all m-my fault," Luffy said between sobs.

"What are you talking about, Luffy? It's not your fault. It's mine for not being strong enough, so cheer up," he said softly while his one arm was around Luffy's shoulders.

"Yeah Luffy. Don't cry," said Shanks's first mate, Ben. His tall figure looming over everyone. "Shanks did what he did out of his own choice. Don't feel bad because of that."

Haru did not know what to say. Shanks was one of the people who truly made her smile and laugh for the first time in a long time. Plus Haru could guess how much that arm meant to a pirate when it came to sword fighting. It was truly a loss to him. But Haru could not understand why he would sacrifice his arm for a kid. Haru knew that she would never do the same thing.

 _Is he that much of a selfless person?_

All Haru knew was she hated those types of people.

* * *

 **AN: For the sake of this story I'm aging up Mihawk, so he would not be that young when Haru was born. He would be in his 20s.**

 **Constructive criticism is always welcome, so please review. Plus thank you to the people who followed or favourited this story.**


	3. The Choice Between Two

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Just OCs and plot.

Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures.

And as the struggle for power begins, Allister soon learns that the Great Empire is not the only one involved in the great game as sinister players position themselves to make their first move to stake their claim over both worlds.

With traitors at every corner and friends turning into foes. Through turmoil and war, magic and murder, Allister knows he must pick a side if he wishes to survive... But as a girl?

* * *

The Rules of Redemption

\- Chapter 3 -

The Choice Between Two

* * *

1

The next day came quickly and Haru said her goodbyes to Shanks and the rest of the crew. They were setting off onto their next adventure, which was beyond the Red Line. Shanks also said that this may be the last time he might come to Dawn Island for a long time, but before he stepped foot on his ship, Shanks walked over to her and Luffy. He gave Luffy his straw hat and her a Den Den Mushi telling her that her father would contact her through it.

Unlike Luffy who was crying at their departure, Haru was wondering what her life would be like as a pirate. _Would I find out the truth of my death or would I find out something more?_ There was so much knowledge about this world that was unknown and people don't even see that. Haru wanted to be a Truth Seeker. She wanted to know the secrets of this world and why there was a gap in its history. However, she knew the dangers of that. She had learnt the consequences as Allister because back in Britannia Truth Seekers were condemned.

But times have changed. She was in a new world with a new identity. It was only then that the realisation hit her _hard_. _I don't have to hide any more. I don't have to run away_. It was all a relief that she was finally free from all the burdens from her past life and now there was no reason to be afraid. They won't come after her no more, but she would still be careful in this world. As James told her before there was magic in this world, but no magical users. This confused Haru. _How can the world have magic but have no users? Could it be that they are hiding somewhere?_ These were two of the main questions that Haru wanted to focus on in this world.

But there was one other thing that James had said that bothered her. He had said that she was not the only ones that died that night. This could possibly mean that there were other people from Britannia in this world other than James and her, which truly interested Haru. Though one thing that she did not understand is why she and James were different ages. Surely because they died on the same day they would be born on the same day. Maybe it had something to do with their souls, since Haru knew that James was not human. That was shown by the magical contract that she and James made together during the time of her capture as Allister.

 _Kill them all._

A voice suddenly creeped into her head, but the voice was not Haru's. It was Allister's. A voice that she had long forgotten. It sounded as if every word that was said was agony. Haru felt the voice's pain, as if it was her own. She heard its betrayal. Its fury. Its cry for vengeance.

 _I will never allow that to happen again._ Haru vowed. _I will never allow myself go through that again._

The event that had caused her so much suffering as Allister she would never forget, and never forgive.

Shaking her head from these thoughts, Haru stared down at the small Den Den Mushi in her hands. She knew that these snails were used as communicators in this world, but their funny appearances always made her want to chuckle.

 _I'll be able to talk to my father with this._

Now all she had to do is wait.

2

A month later and Haru was watching a scene unfold between a grandfather and grandson while she drinking a soft drink in the bar. Well, it was more like a scene between two lunatics, but it seemed like that trait ran in the family.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE MARINES!" Screamed Luffy. "I WANT TO BE A PIRATE!"

"I DID NOT LEAVE YOU IN THE JUNGLE THIS WEEK AS TRAINING TO SHAPE YOU AS A PIRATE!" Old man Garp retaliated. "IT WAS ALL FOR THE SAKE OF YOU BEING A MARINE!"

"TRAINING?!" Luffy shouted back as if it was the most outrageous thing Garp could have ever said. "IT'S MORE LIKE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME."

"IS THAT HOW YOU TALK TO YOUR GRANDPA?!"

Garp grabbed Luffy by his shirt and clobbered him over the head with his fist. Luffy yelled in pain. Haru was just there watching them like she would a play that had just started to get out of hand. But this was not the first time this scene had played out. It was the fifth time this week. Haru learnt that the best thing to do was to not get involved in their antics. However, this happened more than usual ever since Shanks saved Luffy causing him to become dead set on becoming a pirate and nothing would stop him.

"Haruka?" Chiyo called out from behind the counter while ignoring Garp and Luffy.

"Yes, Mum?" Haru replied. It felt strange calling Chiyo mum after finding out the actual truth, but she had to keep up with appearances. No one else could know.

"Can you wash the glass cups for me?" She asked.

"Okay."

Haru slid off her seat and walked over to the back door which lead to the kitchen, but before she stepped through the door Chiyo said, "Haruka, don't you hear something ringing?"

 _Something ringing?_ Haru strained her ear to listen to try to the faint sound. Then she heard it. It was coming from upstairs causing Haru to freeze.

 _The Den Den Mushi?!_

Without wasting anymore time, Haru ran through the back door and to the stairs. Then went up to her room. The sound was getting louder the more she moved closer to it. When she reached her room she burst open the door and moved quickly to her bed, and beneath it was the Den Den Mushi. Grabbing it, Haru answered the still ringing call.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly.

There was silence from the end for a few seconds until a smooth, masculine voice came onto the line.

" _Haruka_ ," said the voice, as if it was testing her name on its tongue for the first time. " _It's nice to finally speak with you after all these years._ "

"Yeah. It's nice to speak with you, too," she replied.

 _Well, isn't this awkward. I should sit down_ , she thought, as she began to move to the desk chair to her right and sit down.

" _How are you?_ "The voice asked, or she should say her father asked.

"I'm good. Though truth is I don't really know what to say," Haru began. "When I found out you were alive it brought me a great deal of curiosity because I've never had a father figure in my life before."

This was true. As Allister, she had never had a father figure. There were men Allister looked up to, but he never saw them to be like a father. This was because he thought that he would not need father, because he could look after himself. Haru still believed this, but it would be interesting to see how her father would act around her. Hopefully, he was not one of those overprotective types.

" _Curiosity?_ "He questioned.

"Yep," she said popping the 'p'. "As I said, I have never had a father in my life before now and I'm curious to know what having one is like. I want to know more about you."

" _Hmm... You're 15 now, right?_ "

"Yes, I am. But what's that got to do with anything?" She asked intrigued in his answer.

" _You're nearly old enough to start exploring the world, but before then I want you to come live with me_." He responded.

Haru blinked in shock. "You mean now?!"

" _Yes, I'm already on my way to Dawn Island. It will take me a few hours to reach you_."

 _By giving me a small amount of time he's forcing me to choose between staying or going with him._ Haru began to chuckle. "Who would have thought that my own father would put me in this position?"

Her father said nothing.

"Sure," was her answer. "I'll come live with you."

There was still silence on the other side.

Haru smiled devilishly. "I bet you're wondering why I answered so quickly instead of taking my time. It's because it would be fun to see what life would be like living with you. Plus isn't this what you wanted?"

And I'll be one step closer to being able to find out about my death by getting off this Island.

" _Pack your things. I'll see you tonight_."

He cut the call.

Haru started chuckling again and then her chuckles turning into a full eruption of laughter.

 _He won't know what hit him._

3

In less than 30 minutes Haru was packed. There was not that much that she could have taken with her, so she packed all her essentials that she would need to a journey in a small rucksack that she placed on her shoulders. She then told Chiyo that she felt sick and wanted to go to sleep for a few hours, but truthfully snuck out from the back door of the bar and ran to the only docks in Dawn Island. It took her an hour by foot, but she reached it.

Putting an invisibility spell on herself so no one would notice her, Haru sat on the edge of the dock staring out to sea. She had a book with her, but she would rather start reading it when she was on the boat. So she spent the next few hours staring off into space. She thought about her life back in Britannia. Thought about her brothers. Well, not her actual brothers, but her brothers in arms. The ones who had turned their back on her as Allister.

 _I was their Lord Commander. The greatest Knight in all of Britannia. Head of the royal army. What am I now? A child learning to fight all over again or an old soul with nowhere to belong?_

It was in times like these that Haru would feel the burning rage of betrayal deep within her heart. _I did nothing wrong, yet they let me take the fall_. After that event that caused her capture as Allister, Haru learnt not to place her trust on anyone. After all, they were just waiting for a chance to betray her. She will never put herself in that position ever again.

She still remembered their names. Her old brothers. There were four of them all together.

 _Charles Fleming, Mayhew Danson, Olyver Kent and Esmond de Melborn. I loved them as if they were my own family... but not anymore._

Snapping herself out of the dark thoughts, Haru started to notice that the sun had finally set into the distant sea line causing the stars to finally show themselves. _They're beautiful_. And there were. The stars shone like beacons, lighting up the darkness and the moon, the large slivery moon began its own journey to the centre of the sky. This is when Haru became aware of a boat moving fairly close to where she was.

 _Could it be him?_ She wondered.

Haru was alone at the docks. The fishermen and the merchants had turned in for the night, so she took off the invisibility spell and stood up.

 _It's time._

As the boat finally reached the docks, a figure stepped off and walked over to her. In the dark Haru could only make out some features like its tall lean build, but as the figure came closer she saw the person a little clearer as the sea reflected light from the moon. The man wore a black hat with a large plume and a long, open black coat with no shirt underneath. She could not see the sleeves properly in the dark, but she guessed that there must be patterns on it as she could see the faint outline of flowers. He also wore light purple, almost white pants held up by a belt and tucked inside overly large boots. Plus he had a stupendous sword resting on his back. But one thing that stood out from him was his eyes. They were the same as hers.

He stopped in front of her and looked down at her.

"Haruka," he said in a deep voice.

"Yes," she answered.

"Are you ready?"

Haru nodded. "Yeah."

"Have you said your goodbyes?"

"No, there is no need," she said. "I'll see them again."

And that was the truth. She would see them again. It may not be soon, but one day she would return.

 _This is my choice._

"Let's go then," he replied.

He turned and walked back to his boat, and Haru followed.

One step at a time.

* * *

\- Side Story -

A Talk with Garp

* * *

Three weeks after Shanks left, Haru was left alone in her room feeling under the weather since that day. The reason being what the red-haired man did. He saved Luffy's life and she kept on wondering why he did it. Haru could not comprehend it. Instead, it left her head in a mess trying to figure it out.

 _He had no loyalties to Luffy. So why?_

The man had even sacrificed his arm to save him. Haru could have never done anything like that. Well, not anymore. She now believed in the ideology of every man or woman for him/herself after what her old brothers had done to her as Allister. Truth is Haru had forgotten what it was like to care for another person and she would not risk feeling it again. It was a dangerous feeling to have as it could blind you from the real truth that is being covered. Because of this Haru kept her feeling in control at all times, making sure that she would not feel anything for a person that might risk her life.

 _Knock. Knock._

Haru turned her head towards the door. She must have been deep in thought as she could not hear the footsteps of the person coming up the stairs.

 _I wonder who it is,_ she thought curiously.

 _Knock. Knock._

"Come in!" Haru called out.

In came two people. One was Chiyo and the other was a tall, muscular old man who had a grey beard and has a scar over his left eye. He wore a tropical shirt with palm trees spread across it and blue shorts. Haru knew who it was just by the figure of the man. It was Luffy's grandfather, Garp.

"Haruka, I thought that I would bring someone to talk to you," Chiyo said.

Haru looked at her confused. "What do you mean by talk?"

Garp stepped forward. "Haruka, Chiyo told me that you were feeling down for the past few weeks and thought that I should speak to you."

Haru gazed at Chiyo who looked worried.

"Look Haruka, ever since Shanks left you have not been yourself, so the best thing I could think of was to ask someone to speak to you," Chiyo explained. She then turned to Garp. "I leave her in your hands."

After Chiyo left the room there was a weird silence that filled the room, but soon Garps decided to shatter it with his booming voice.

"Haruka, so what's this I heard about you being upset?"

Haru turned in her seat next to her desk to properly face him. "I'm not upset," she said in a neutral tone and that was what she was determined to believe.

Without warning, Garp started laughing making Haru blink in shock.

"Who would have thought that you would be upset over the red-haired pirate?"

Haru flushed red.

"I'm not!" She retorted. _For fucks sake, I sound like a child._

Garps carried on laughing at her and Haru just rolled her eyes at him not bothering to waste any more emotions on him. Then the laughter died down.

"Haruka," Garps said with seriousness, grabbing her attention, "I know what Shanks did that day. He saved Luffy, but at a price."

Haru said nothing.

"But you must remember that he chose to save Luffy and I'm thankful for that. So don't be upset. I know how much you care about Luffy and Shanks. You must have felt helpless not being able to help them."

 _Care? I don't care about them_ , she thought. _All I care about is myself. Plus I did not feel helpless. All I what to know is..._ Why?

* * *

 **AN: I find the side story important as it's an insight into Haru's character because it shows contradictions to the way Haru acts and the way she think she acts. For example, she believes that she has control over her emotions, but just like another person she lets emotions get the better of her.**

 **Tell me what you think of the story so far. It would really help me to know if you're enjoying it.**


	4. The Love From a Father

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Just OCs and plot.

Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures.

And as the struggle for power begins, Allister soon learns that the Great Empire is not the only one involved in the great game as sinister players position themselves to make their first move to stake their claim over both worlds.

With traitors at every corner and friends turning into foes. Through turmoil and war, magic and murder, Allister knows he must pick a side if he wishes to survive... But as a girl?

 **Warning** : Nightmares of torture

* * *

The Rules of Redemption

\- Chapter 4 -

The Love From a Father

* * *

1

It was when dawn arrived that Haru noticed that the longboat she was on happened to look like a coffin. This made her wonder if her father liked the gothic tastes found in this world. He does look like a villain from gothic novels, she thought staring at him and his attire. Haru was sat on the floor opposite her father who was sat on some sort of chair that was connected to the boat. But there was a difference in their pace of breathing. Her father was napping while she was wide awake. It was because she could not sleep and there was a reason for that; she suffered from nightmares.

For the past 12 years of her existence, when Haru was able to remember everything about her past life, she began to have nightmares. Chiyo believed they were caused by her wild imagination that forced her to wake up screaming in the night, but it was all to do with remembering her past. Because of this Haru found it hard to sleep in front of people. At the age of 13, Chiyo believed that the nightmares had stopped, but she was wrong. Haru had learnt to create a sound barrier around herself with her magic, so no one would hear her screams. It was tiring. The scars left on her heart as Allister had not yet healed. The only thing protecting her was the amulet around her neck. It soothed her to know that she would not be seeing 'them' too, as they were really the stuff of nightmares.

"When you're done staring at me you should go to sleep," her father suddenly said, opening his eyes. "It's going to take us about a month to get to Kuraigana Island and you can't stay awake during that whole time."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a gothic villain?" Haru blurted out, trying to change the subject.

"No, this is the first," he replied.

"Really? I thought that people would have told you."

"Hn." Was his answer.

"You don't talk much do you?" Haru pointed out.

"Hn. But you should go to sleep. I don't want you collapsing when we reach Loguetown in a few days."

 _I can pretend to sleep_ , she thought. _But if I do that I'll really fall asleep._

"I can't sleep," Haru admitted. It was best to tell the truth in times like this, there was no way she could hide it anyway. She could try using her magic to make an illusion of herself sleeping, but it would not work, as being sleep deprived would weaken her spells. Also these days Haru found herself telling the truth a lot more than usual and she hated it. She felt like she was exposing herself to the world, but it must be done if she wanted to gain the trust of her father. She could not make him suspicious of anything or the real truth might come out.

"Why can't you sleep?" Her father asked sounding concerned.

 _Concerned, huh? Is that how a father is meant to sound?_

"I have nightmares," she explained.

Haru wanted to grit her teeth as she said this because she felt so vulnerable exposing her secret. She felt like an open book that was being read. _Just get this over and done with Haruka_ , she told herself.

"Nightmares?" He said as if he did not expect that answer. "Nightmares about what?"

"Nothing you need to know," she responded.

And he didn't. There was somethings she could still keep to herself.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Try and sleep. I'll deal with your night terrors."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Haru rested on her right side and curled up into a ball. The sounds of the sea swaying calmed her and helped her relax. She must have been awake for a whole day as a wave of exhaustion hit her and the rocking of the boat lulled her into a false sense of security. Hopefully I won't have nightmares today. But Haru seriously doubted that. Instead she began to remember it after a few minutes of sleep and, without warning, the intense feeling of horror washed over her. Haru tried to open her eyes to wake herself up, but she found that she was not in the boat any more but in a dark, dank room that smelled of blood.

 _No! I can't be back here!_

A dark silhouette of a man appeared in front of her, in his hands a shadow of a whip. Haru tried to get up and move away from the figure, but she found herself chained to the wall, her wrist bleeding from the many times she tried to escape. Then the man raised his whip.

 _No! Please No! No more!_

And brought it down. All Haru felt was pain.

He raised his whip again.

 _No more! Please no more!_ She began to sob.

Regardless of her begging, the man brought down the whip once more and Haru noticed herself screaming in agony. When the whip connected to her body, a sharp fire ignited in her skin.

 _James! James, help me!_ She called out in between the lashes. She could not take it anymore.

"HARUKA!" Shouted a voice from the darkness.

Not caring who the voice was, Haru screamed, _HELP!_

And suddenly Haru felt warm arms wrap around her body forcing her awake. Finally being able to properly open her eyes, the sun blinded her and blurred her vision. She was no longer in the room, but back on the boat. Though her throat was in pain. _I'm fine. I'm fine._

She began to cry again, but this time in relief.

"Haruka," said her father next to her. It was his arms that she was tightly held in, her head resting on his chest. "It's okay. I'm here."

He was rocking her slowly back and forth trying to comfort her, but Haru still felt the effects of the lashes on her body. It was a long time since she had a nightmare like that, and it scared her.

"Haruka, go back to sleep," her father said softly. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Haru shook her head too afraid to sleep.

 _I can't. I can't._

He began to stroke her hair. "Haruka, I promise that you will be fine."

Haru tried to open her mouth to speak, but she could not. The words were stuck in her throat.

"Don't speak. Your throat must hurt from screaming. Just trust me and sleep."

Haru did not know what else to do but close her eyes and in the warmth of her father's arm - no - _loving_ arms.

2

Haru felt as if she had gone through a hundred battles and won in each turn. That or she was finally able to sleep for the first time in a very long time. This filled her with a sense of tranquility. The last time she felt like this was when she did not remember her past as a child in this world it was when she was three that the feeling abandoned her.

Feeling the warmth radiating off the arms wrapped around her, Haru snuggled into the person wanting to protect herself from the cold, as cool winds were rising. It was then that she heard the person give out a deep chuckle causing her to leave her comfortable dreams and drift into the conscious world. Opening her eyes, she saw her father looking down at her with an amused expression. Haru felt her cheeks go red in embarrassment making him chuckle even more.

"So you're finally wake?" Her father said with a soft smile.

"Uhhh, Yeah," She replied awkwardly while still feeling a little drowsy. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A little more than three days."

"Three day?!" She exclaimed in shock. "Why did you not wake me up?"

"You seemed like you needed the rest." Was his answer.

"So I've been in your arms for three days?"

"You would not sleep properly unless I held you," he explained.

Haru said nothing to that. Instead she remembered when the nightmares started as Allister; there James would stay by his side every night to make sure that his nightmares wouldn't get out of hand. This was practically the same thing. Though over time the nightmares would become less frequent, but because of how fragile her young mind is now since it's still in development, Haru could not control how her mind reacted to her past. This made life difficult for her, especially when it came to the control of her magic. There was a risk that the use of too much dark magic would cause her to lose her sanity as she was still considered a child.

"Look over the horizon," her farther said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "We've reached Loguetown."

 _We have?_

Haru turned her head to face the front of the boat and there it was. A few miles away from them was an island. The island was larger than Dawn and under the evening sky it seemed to be bustling with life as street lights shone brightly giving the island a faint glow, but it was not just that. Hundreds of boats surrounded Haru and her father either going to the island or leaving it.

 _So this is where the Pirate King was born and killed, huh?_

Haru had heard the stories about the King from Chiyo while growing up and from what she could tell he was a great man, but it was his luck that had ran out. No, actually not his luck. After all, people make their own luck. It was the King's sense of peace that caused his downfall, as you could tell from the stories about him he was a man who was not interested in creating wars or any type of needless violence. Just like me, she thought. Haru remembered the days as Allister where he thought that there was no need for chaotic and grim wars that only sought to bring about destruction in its wake not peace, but Allister had a duty to do. A duty to the King of Britannia. Though that duty was over now.

However, there was still something about the Pirate King's life that Haru was greatly interested in. It was filled with great adventures and secrets, and it was those secrets that Haru wanted to find. He was a man with a lot of things to hide. As a Truth Seeker, Haru wanted to know the King's secrets in order to understand his life. The life that set in motion the Pirate Age.

Turning her thoughts back to Loguetown, Haru saw that the boat was very close to the docks. From this distance, Haru could see the people bustling around getting on with their daily lives without a care in the world. It was peaceful watching them, Haru noted as she tried to move closer to the edge of the boat. Then she remembered that she was still in her father's arms. She began to pull herself out of them and stand up, but when she walked over to the edge, her father spoke up.

"Haruka?" Her father said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Haru hummed in response.

"Is everything truly alright?"

Raising an eyebrow, Haru turned to face her father who was still sat in the chair.

 _He must be asking questions because of the nightmare._

Her father's face was like a blank canvas; portraying no signs of emotion, but it was his eyes that betrayed him. It showed worry. _He probably wants to know more about the nightmare, but is holding himself back. He does not want to force me into telling him everything as that would break my trust in him._ Haru was grateful for that. She did not want to spill anymore of her own secrets about herself, but she knew that one day it would all come out. Though that time was not now and she will make sure that it was not any time soon.

"Everything is fine... Dad."

Saying the word Dad was foreign on her tongue, but it was the only way to reassure him that she was alright and to stop him from asking anymore questions. It worked. Saying that word shut him up as he cast her a look of surprise. This should show that Haru was beginning to trust him, although she did not. She trusted no one. Not after what happened.

They had now reached the docks and Haru proceeded to hop off the boat and on to land. Her father did the same, but also tied the boat to the dock to make sure it did not go floating away. At the same time, the last rays of sunlight were fading away into the sea line revealing the starless night that plunged the island into darkness, but the lights from the streets glowed brighter than before.

"Come," her father suddenly said, "I know a place we can stay for the night."

Then her father began to stroll before her and she followed. He walked passed markets that closed down for the night until they reached a scarcely populated road. It seemed as if this place was a part of a ghost town, as each side of the road had what looked to be empty homes that were crumbling apart, but at the end of the road was a large, old house with boarded up windows. It looked as if it had not been used in years, but the house had a feeling of warmth radiating from it as if it was welcoming them and it did not appear to be breaking apart.

Her father stood in front of the house and said, "We will be staying here."

"Whose house is this? It seems like it has not been used in a long time."

Her father stayed silent for a few seconds. His eyes wondering over the house with a soft expression filling his face as if he was remembering something very personal.

"This," he began, "is the home of Gol. D Roger."

* * *

 **AN:** I will be changing the rating from T to M because of the torture scene. Also, this is the updated version of this chapter that has been edited.

 **Please Review**


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